Free agency is upon us, and I’d be surprised if we got through next week’s general managers’ and owners’ meetings without some significant signings. After what transpired last January — a spending cold front that left myriad veterans settling for far less than they hoped to get — I anticipate players and their agents being far more aggressive this year, working to avoid post-holiday unemployment.
That’s one of the many factors I contemplated in my annual free-agent rankings and predictions. I spoke with dozens of industry folks in an attempt to correctly peg where players would go and how much they would receive.